Will Pope Benedict XVI Stand Up for Cuba’s Oppressed People?

The residents of Havana and the Cuban people who live elsewhere in the prison island are anxiously awaiting the visit next week of Pope Benedict XVI. It is the first papal visit to Cuba in a decade, and those who most look forward to it are Cuba’s beleaguered dissidents, who have bravely sought to peacefully organize against the dictatorship. For their efforts, they have regularly been sent to serve lengthy prison terms in conditions of utter brutality.

It is their hope, above all, as the leading dissident doctor Oscar Biscet wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal, that it is “a unique opportunity for the leader of the Catholic Church to leverage his considerable prestige and influence to support the oppressed and help the Cuban people claim our liberty and establish democracy.” Indeed, it is such an opportunity. But the question is simply this: Will the pope avail himself of this opportunity, or will he pass it by, content instead with the decision of Cuba’s rulers to suddenly allow the official Catholic Church to exist and Cuban Catholics to openly proclaim their faith?

Dr. Biscet knows what the stakes are from personal experience. He had been in prison himself since 1999, and was released last March as a result of the intercession on his behalf of the Church leadership in Rome. Cuban prisons, Biscet wrote, include the following practices:

The prison system in Cuba flagrantly violates the minimum requirements for prisoner care established by the United Nations. During my years in prison, I personally witnessed prisoners left for 12-24 hours with their hands and feet handcuffed behind their backs, stripped naked in groups without any regard for human modesty, tortured physically and psychologically with tasers, beaten to death for requesting basic medical attention, and kept for months in cells without ventilation, natural light, drinkable water or restroom facilities.

As a result of writing that article, Havana’s secret police turned up at Biscet’s home, summoning him to report to their headquarters. By the time this is posted, Biscet may well again be back in prison, out of the way in order to prevent the pope from being bombarded by such reports that besmirch the regime. As Biscet noted, personal ruin is most often what “the regime inflicts on anyone who offers an alternative voice.” In still Communist Cuba, freedom of speech is a luxury to be practiced only by the bravest and most outspoken.

When Fidel Castro took power in 1959, Cuba quickly made it known that religion and its open practice was to be banned. As in the Soviet Union of the 1920s, churches and synagogues were closed, and the faithful had to practice in secret. Fidel Castro, brought up in Jesuit schools, proclaimed Marxism as the only public faith, as religion was scorned as not scientific and antithetical to Marxism-Leninism. Now, with Communism almost collapsed everywhere, recognizing the Church as a legitimate body allows the regime breathing space in tough times, giving the oppressed populace removal of a grievance. The Castro brothers hope will allow them to stay in power.

Hence, the regime no longer preaches the once popular doctrine of “liberation theology,” meant to offer support to a regime-friendly religious façade that helped the rulers proclaim to the gullible abroad that some religion was allowed to exist.

So now, Fidel and Raul Castro say they are Catholic. Officially, the pope is coming to Cuba to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the patroness saint of Cuba, Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, a Caridad. The regime has announced that a new seminary is opening, as well as a Catholic cultural center. But all these actions taken by the regime, as Conrad Black wrote, mean that any “celebration of the triumph of any…redemptionist and expiatory impulse would be, to say the least, premature.”

I doubt it is a coincidence that Chavez arrives in Cuba at exactly the same time as the Pope will be in Cuba. I have a haunch that Chavez is making a rather large “contribution” to the Catholic Church (in gold) in order to buy
a blessing for himself and Fidel Castro. We shall see, but, I would bet on it.
And, I will never set foot in a Catholic Church again if this happens and I would urge others to consider doing likewise.

Chavez is not as bad as he appears.. you know nothing:
Contaminated water is being served to more than half of the population
Electricity has been rationed randomly for two years.
Staples food has ben rationed or disappered at all because of price control and the unavoidable contraband.
Gasoline is aso being imported and rationed.
Only one free tv station remain in operation on cable. The rest were closed or forced to surrend
Cubans are manging property registry, national ID system and control the army
progoverment militias have been armed while arm have been fully banned for the rest.
Political and personal enemies of Chavez has veen jailed without trial.
A judge was removed on his order. She has cancer , uterus, the citology was done in front of 16 National Guard, all men, with cameras.
Private entrprise has almost disappear.
You are a know nothing

Well, here’s what has happened in last few days.
Number 1-Bishop that manages Pope’s schedule-said there’s no way the
Pope will meet with Chavez. Was not scheduled.
Number 2-Chavez people leaked that the Pope will meet withChavez.
Number 3 -Pope’s people denied it.
Number 4- Later, Pope’s people said indeed Pope will meet with Chavez
for 15 min. on Tuesday.
May I point out to the commentators who doubt what I said-this has been common
practice throughout history. Innumerable times-rich, powerful, dying people have offered huge riches to the Pope in hopes of being healed.
And, in the case of Castro and Chavez- the PR value to the poor people is
huge. Many of the poor already worship these scoundrels…

“Will [the Pope] be content with witnessing the flourishing of an open Catholic Church in a country in which it was once forbidden for the faithful to practice, and leave the people seeking freedom in the lurch?”

Why do you see these as mutually exclusive?

“Or will he use his position and his moral leadership to . . . give the Cuban people the courage and inspiration to join the few dissidents and start in the process of opposition to the Castro brothers’ tyranny?”

The opposition –as you yourself note– already exists. That is what “dissidence” means. But precisely how is the Pope expected to give them any inspiration apart from validating their faith? Admittedly, that is perhaps insufficient inspiration to those for whom politics is everything, and the Gospel (a la Liberation Theology) only a means to a secular end.

The pope doesn’t exist to do what America wants him to do. His mission in Cuba is to provide hope and solace for the people of Cuba. After the death of Castro, there will inevitably be some liberalization of the Cuban economy and the pope needs to get the catholic church in Cuba ready for that time.

It is always wise to put your self in another man’s shoes, when considering what he will do. The man with the red shoes, the Pope, is in the last years of his life. By his beliefs, he will shortly met his Judge for the decision which will define his eternity. He will meet men, other leaders, in a similar condition, with similar beliefs.

They all now clearly know, that the 20th century was the bloodiest period in human history. There were many evils, but the largest was atheistic communism; it led to the murder of something more than 100,000,000 human beings, and uncountable horrors. Except in a few backwaters, North Korea, and Cuba, it is vanishing. Even China and Russia have changed, slightly.

As a Catholic, I would like to thank Mr. Radosh for asking this question – we must ask why the Cuban dissidents are currently not on the Pope’s schedule?

In my limited view, the ghost of ostpolitik still haunts some of the halls in the Vatican Curia – prudence seems to be applied to an exaggerated degree. Pope John Paul II was able to exorcise that stinky miasma for a time, because he knew the communists well – that is to say, he knew their lies and how to deal with them, first hand.

I believe Pope Benedict XVI is astute enough not to fall for the Castro brothers Potemkin “freedom” for the Church. Freedom of religion, and freedom for all Cuban people, is one, inseparable issue. Thus, the Cuban dissidents need, and richly deserve, to meet with him during his visit to their country.

Working behind the scenes only, also deprives the Cuban people of a much needed visible sign of hope. Such a visible sign would also somewhat deflate Raul and Fidel’s balloon – and that would be a very good thing.

Biblical prophets spoke the truth courageously, clearly, and as a rule, suffered for it. May God grant us all some of that Spirit as well. Cuba Libre!

Mark VA said “Working behind the scenes only, also deprives the Cuban people of a much needed visible sign of hope. Such a visible sign would also somewhat deflate Raul and Fidel’s balloon – and that would be a very good thing.”
Agreed. But, Mark -that is not what happened…
Mark VA, we agree I believe that something “went wrong” in Havana…

Some are claiming that a. Chavez never expressed a desire to see the Pope
and b. there will be no visit on Tuesday with the Pope and Chavez.
It is possible that it could be kept secret, I suppose but I thought that
this type of behavior was not part of the “modern world” of the Catholic
Church. And, I can’t imagine Chavez not using this meeting with the Pope
for political propaganda back home in Venezuela…
Hopefully we will see and hear the truth today??

Just to clarify-Chavez paid for himself and for
Fidel Castro -a gift from Chavez to Fidel.(with Venezuela’s gold).[ And, I joked- what about Raul.Sorry, no blessing for Raul-jajaja.]I doubt if we will ever know for sure, but, I believe this is the only reason the Pope did this. Yes, bribery.

The Pope SHOULD care and should realize that he is being used for propaganda by
Chavez and Castro.
I believe as I stated before that Chavez made a large contribution (in gold) on behalf of himself and Fidel Castro and bought their blessings.
THis is an ancient custom.
And as I said before I hoped it would not happen because I hoped the Catholic Church had “outgrown”, learned better-obviously they have not…

I am saddened, yes, as are many other Cubans. I wept today. I am beyond sad: today has been one of the blackest days for me in a long time. The clouds hung low. At one point the sun was blotted out. I could not help but see eleven million crosses, with bodies writhing on them, stretched from one end of Cuba to the other. But I am not broken. Nor is my faith shaken. God works in mysterious ways. The Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, Pope Benedict XVI has betrayed Cuba. So what? Aside from questions of faith and doctrine, he is as fallible as all of us are, and as prone to moral failure. And as a Catholic, it is my duty to pray for him.

I too think that something went wrong in Cuba. As to what, precisely, went wrong, we can all speculate till the cows come home – I offered my three cents worth above. After thinking about this visit some more, it also seems to me that the Church in Cuba is comparatively weak and tentative.

There seems to be no Cuban Wyszynski, no opportunity for the people to form the bonds of solidarity under the Church’s wing. The Cuban state is able to operate on its subjects directly and mercilessly, without having to worry about any resistance from a healthy mediating institution. It is profoundly sad to watch.

As to your speculation about the “… rather large “contribution” to the Catholic Church (in gold)” I think I’ve already expressed my opinion about such insinuations above. I don’t care to add or subtract anything from it.

Mark-very nice to meet you. Thank you for caring. I am so sad that few seem to care much at all anymore-Cuba or the Church…We agree on everything except the
donation of funds- that is OK.
One final thought-the relationship with Cuba and Venezuela-wealth of Venezuela
and what from Cuba =something to think about. Otherwise, the Pope would see
Cuba as broke, bankrupt, but no.
In a sense, the Pope gave his blessing to THE RELATIONSHIP WITH VENEZUELA
AND CUBA. This IS PRECISELY WRONG.